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The campus community biweekly

May 29, 2003, vol. 3, no. 11

Probe to Earth's core is feasible Dave Stevenson has spent his career working on "swing-by" missions to the other planets . Now he has a modest proposal he'd like to swing by a govern­ment agency with a few billion dollars in available funding .

According to Stevenson's calculations, it should be possible to send a probe into Earth's core by combining several proven technologies with well-grounded scientific assumptions about the workings of the planet. The probe would sink straight to the core in an envelope of molten iron, sending back temperature readings, compositional information, and other data along the way. Stevenson's paper, "A Modest Proposal," appeared this month in the journal Nature.

Commencing life after Caltech

For more than a century, Caltech students have gathered for an annual rite of pas­sage, marking their transition into the world beyond. This year, the Institute's 109th such ceremony will take place on Friday, June 13.

Commencement 2003 will begin at 10 a.m. on the Beckman Mall. Campus visi­tors can take advantage of overflow park­ing and shuttle service, available that day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Huntington Library, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. The ceremony will feature keynote speaker Harold Varmus, president and chief executive officer of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. A former director of the National Institutes of Health, Varmus was a corecipient of the 1989 Nobel Prize in physiology or medi­cine for research that has led to a deeper understanding of cancer cell growth.

Leading up to the main event will be an array of traditional precommencement activities that offer graduating students a chance to celebrate with visiting family and friends, starting Thursday, June 12. Visitors can take self-guided campus tours throughout the day, available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Office of Public Relations, 315 South Hill Avenue. The day's events will also include a reception for graduat-

see Commencement, page 5

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Sofa surfing

A Caltech underclassman gets busy on the davenport on Ditch Day 2003, which took place on Thursday, May 22. Water guns, go-carts, and a streaker or two marked the day the campus was deserted by seniors, who left behind puzzles known as "stacks," to be solved by freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.

"We've spent more than $10 billion in unmanned missions to the planets," says Stevenson, the Van Osdol Professor of Planetary Science. "But we've only been down about 10 kilometers into our own planet."

Student Affairs gets restructured Order comes to a plate-glass universe

The benefits to science would be sig­nificant, he says, because so little has been directly observed about the inner workings of the planet. Scientists do not

see Probe, page 5

Three faculty named to AAAS

Caltech professors Fred Anson, Colin Camerer, and Joseph Kirschvink have been elected as 2003 fellows by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Their appointments bring to 82 the num­ber of Institute faculty named to the academy.

"It gives me great pleasure towel­come these outstanding and influential individuals to the nation 's oldest and most illustrious learned society," said academy president Patricia Meyer Spacks, noting that the honor "acknowl­edges the best of all scholarly fields and professions." The "highly competitive"

see AAAS, page 6

Caltech Student Affairs has been reorga­nized in order to streamline services and to help the organization achieve its bud­getary goals. Announced by Vice Presi­dent for Student Affairs Margo Marshak in a May 13 memo to students, the changes include closure of the Residence Life office, enfolding International Stu­dent Programs' immigration and coun­seling functions into Human Resources' Office of International Scholar Services, and elimination of the associate dean for graduate studies position.

The restructuring and loss of employees surprised some students, who perceived the changes as abrupt and secretive. Ac­cording to Marshak and Stan Borodinsky, chief administrator for student affairs, though, such decisions had been pending for some time and were not made lightly.

"These changes were done very thoughtfully to consolidate and tighten services and to meet financial goals. These are decisions that one never wants to make," Marshak said. "We are sad to have to do it and to lose people valued by us and by students. It's a real tribute to our staff that students feel that they've made such a difference and are sad to have them go, as we are."

Due to the sensitive nature of layoffs, she did not mention employees by name in her memo, which may have given an impression of secrecy and of clinical detachment. However, Marshak said, the actual process with the staff members was far different. "We've worked very hard to make this as humane as possible. Lots of thought was given to how to help affected staff make the transition, both those who are leaving and those stay­ing ." Employees who have lost jobs have been given time in which to make the transition, as well as benefits and various kinds of assistance.

"We've all known these changes were coming," Borodinsky said. The centraliza­tion of International Student Programs' (ISP) immigration function under Interna­tional Scholar Services (ISS) "has been under discussion for the past six or seven years; it's not something that came up all of a sudden." In addition, he said, a group of consultants who visited campus in early 2002-the committee that ad­vised hiring a full-time vice president for student affairs, resulting in Marshak's arrival-had also recommended adminis­trative restructuring.

see Student Affairs, page 6

In a matter of weeks, Jean Mueller and her team of volunteers rearranged the stars, aligned the celestial bodies, and imposed a cosmic logic on the whole mess.

They found the Milky Way in a box and put it back in its proper place. They wiped the dust off the Orion Nebula and hung Orion's belt back on its cosmic hook. No red giant was too massive; no brown dwarf was too small. Not even comets, trailing their resplendent tails, could shoot across the sky fast enough to escape.

Mueller, along with a team of volun­teers, set about the awesome project to clean up the plate archive in the subbase­ment in Robinson last winter.

"The plate vault was in disarray. It was a mess down there," says Mueller, who oper­ates the 200-inch telescope on Palomar Mountain. "In recent years, there hadn't been a lot of attention paid to them."

The glass plates, large photographic negatives exposed on Palomar's 48-inch Schmidt telescope (known as the Oschin Telescope since the 1980s), had been accu­mulating since 1949. Over 15 years, Mueller exposed hundreds of plates herself for a sky survey. In all, she estimates that some 40,000

see Mueller, page 6

2 Caltech 336, May 29, 2003

NewsBriefs

Ed Stone, Caltech's Morrisroe Professor of Physics and a former director of JPL, discussed "Voyager's Search for the Edge of Interstellar Space" as the Seminar Day 2003 general session speaker on May 17.

Personals Welcome to Caltech

May

Enrico Campagna, visitor in physics; Sherwin Chen, assistant animal lab technician, Office of Laboratory Animal Resources; Maria Esplandiu, postdoctoral scholar in chemistry; Friedrich Forster, visitor in biology; Jeffrey Gralnick, Texaco Postdoctoral Scholar; Kelly Jung, gradu­ate office database coordinator, Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies; postdoctoral scholars Mitsuhiko Kurusu and Pingwei Li, both in biology; Aileen Liu, administrative assistant, Treasurer's Office; postdoctoral scholars Manish Raizada, in biochemistry, and Sebastian Smidt, in chemistry; Diana Stoianova, visitor in chem­istry; Dai Watanabe, postdoctoral scholar in biology; John West, security officer, Campus Security and Parking Services.

Retirements

Barbara Barth, who provided staff support for the Kerckhoff Marine Biological Laboratory, will retire on July 1, after 25 years at Caltech.

David Tennant will retire on July 1. An instru­ment technician at Palomar Observatory, he will have been with Caltech for 23 years.

Robert Townsend, a section gardener for Athlet­ics, will retire on July 1, after 39 years at Caltech.

Honors and awards Donald Heimberger, Smits Family Professor of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences and director of the Seismological Laboratory, has been awarded the 2002 Medal of the Seismological Society of America. The award is "given to per­sons for outstanding contributions in seismology and earthquake engineering who are distin­guished for their attainments in seismology or related sciences, or for their service to the profes­sion or the Society." Heimberger received his PhD from UC San Diego in 1967 and has been a member of the Caltech faculty since 1970, direc­tor of the Seismo Lab since 1998, and Smits Family Professor since 2000.

Anneila Sargent, professor of astronomy and director of both the Owens Valley Radio Observa­tory and the Interferometry Science Center, has been selected for the 2003 George Darwin Lec­tureship of the Royal Astronomical Society. A graduate of the University of Edinburgh who received her PhD from Caltech in 1977, Sargent has served as a member of the Institute's re­search faculty or professional staff ever since, being appointed professor in 1998, director of the Owens Valley Radio Observatory that same year, and director of the Interferometry Science Center in 2000.

Caltech wins four medals of excellence

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has honored Caltech with four medals as part of the council's 2003 CASE Circle of Excellence Awards Program.

Caltech's campaign video, "Infinite Possibili­ties," won a silver medal in the category of Video Fund-Raising Features. Out of 34 entries, two received gold medals and three silver.

The Institute's campaign casebook, There's only one. Caltech, garnered two medals, a gold for Visual Design in Print and a silver for Indi­vidual Development Publications-Case State­ments/General Cultivation Publications that Make the Case for Giving. The former category received 135 entries, of which three won gold medals and three silver, while in the latter category one gold medal and three silver were awarded in a field of 49 entries.

Finally, Caltech's Annual Report 2001-2002 captured a bronze medal in the category of Insti­tutional Relations Publications. Of the 124 entries in this category, one received a gold medal; two, silver medals; two, bronze medals; and four, honorable mentions.

The video and both publications were pro­duced by Caltech's Office of Public Relations.

Caltech students awarded Goldwater Scholarships

Po-Shen Loh, a junior math major from Madi­son, Wisconsin; Victor Tsai, a junior geophysics major from Albany, California; and Joseph Wasem, a sophomore physics major from Pull­man, Washington, have each been selected to receive Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships for the 2003-04 academic year.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation awards these academic merit scholarships to undergraduate sophomores and juniors from across the nation. The recipients were chosen from 1,093 math­ematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. The one- and two-year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board, up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

A federally endowed agency, the Goldwater Foundation established the scholarship program in honor of the late Senator Barry M. Goldwater, with the goal of encouraging outstanding stu­dents to pursue careers in the fields of mathemat­ics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

Six awarded Sloans

Six Caltech professors recently received Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowships for 2003. They are Paul Asimow, assistant professor of geology and geochemistry; assistant professors of chem­istry Linda Hsieh-Wilson, Jonas Peters, and Brian Stoltz; Danny Calegari, associate profes­sor of mathematics; and Athanassios Siapas, assistant professor of computation and neural systems. Each Sloan Fellow receives a grant of $40,000 for a two-year period.

"It is a terrific honor to receive this award and to be a part of such a tremendous tradition of excellence within the Sloan Foundation," says Stoltz, who is exploring ways to create antileuke­mic drugs from a yew tree.

Asimow says that he will use his Sloan Fel­lowship to "support further investigation into the presence of trace concentrations of water in the deep earth." Of his research, Peters says that "the Sloan award will provide invaluable seed money for work we've initiated in the past few months regarding nitrogen reduction using molecular iron systems."

The unrestricted grants are awarded to young researchers in physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, neuroscience, computa­tional and evolutionary molecular biology, and economics, enabling them to pursue diverse fields of inquiry and to establish independent research projects at a pivotal stage in their ca­reers. Sloan Fellows are selected on the basis of "their exceptional promise to contribute to the advancement of knowledge."

Pickering honored in homeland~-~~,=~~

William Pickering, Caltech alum and professor of electrical engineering, emeritus, and a former director of JPL, recently returned to his native New Zealand to receive an honorary doctorate of engineering from the University of Canterbury. He had studied there for a year before transfer­ring to Caltech. Pickering also unveiled a memo­rial honoring fellow scientist Ernest Rutherford and himself in the town of Havelock, where both men attended primary school.

After receiving his BS in 1932 and his PhD in 1936, Pickering joined Caltech 's faculty as an instructor, becoming an assistant professor in 1940, an associate professor five years later, and a professor in 1947. As director of JPL from 1954 to 1976, he became a central figure in America's space race with the Soviet Union. During his tenure, the Lab developed the first U.S. satellite, Explorer I, in 1957; the first successful U.S. cir­cumlunar space probe, Pioneer IV; the Mariner flights to Venus and Mars and the Ranger photo­graphic missions to the moon in the early and mid 1960s; and the Surveyor lunar landings in 1966 and 1967. Pickering retired from Caltech in 1979.

Caltech noted in Marshall School improvement award

Pasadena's Marshall Fundamental Secondary School, one of three high schools nationwide to receive a College Board 2003 Inspiration Award for improvement, was cited for "exemplary work in helping students from disadvantaged back­grounds achieve the promise of higher educa­tion." In addition to the school's rigorous curriculum and supportive teaching staff, Marshall's nearly 100 percent graduation rate and almost 70 percent college admittance rate were partly credited to Marshall's participation in Caltech's Cultural Expedition and Junior Watson programs. "College comes to life when the stu­dents visit the nearby California Institute of Tech­nology," the award mention reads. Denise Nelson Nash, director of Caltech Public Events, says that Marshall has been involved in the two programs since 1998, with about 160 to 200 students taking part each year.

Engineering better ways to produce

Caltech's Industrial Relations Center, though relatively unknown on campus, has become a heavyweight in the world of executive education, with its focus on technology­oriented companies. Recently, recognizing the increasing need for companies to stay competitive, the IRC has developed a new emphasis for helping companies design the best production systems and methods to maximize their efficiency.

The Systems Engineering Center offers customized training and certificate pro­grams on-site at companies to assist tech­nical professionals. By enhancing their capabilities, the center aims to help sys­tems engineers reduce their organizations' production time, successfully manage risk, and effectively meet client needs. Ex­amples of topics covered include perform­ing a functional analysis, conducting technical reviews and audits, and manag­ing system costs and scheduling. The cen­ter is also developing an executive-level program in systems engineering that will be offered as part of the IRC's array of management classes here on campus.

Anne Campbell, director of programs, says, "We want to raise awareness on campus about the in-depth work we've been doing in systems engineering," espe­cially awareness among faculty and stu­dents who may be particularly interested.

The program's technical d irector is Joel Sercel, a Caltech alum (MS '87, PhD '93), lecturer in aeronautics, and director of the Laboratory for Spacecraft and Mission Design . Other program leaders include alums Kent Frewing (BS '61) and Pete Theisinger (BS '67) and JPL's Tony Freeman, manager of the mission and systems architecture secti on, and Steve Wa ll, who heads the Center of Exce llence for Space Mission and Design.

Networking with other organizations is also a goal of the center, says Campbell , such as its involvement in a conference sponsored by the Los Angeles chapter of the International Council on Systems Engi­neering. "Systems Engineering: Achieving

Quantum Improvements," to be held June 7 in Long Beach, will feature Erik Antonsson, Caltech professor of mechan ical engineer­ing and chief technologist at JPL, as guest speaker. More information is online at www.incose-la.org, or contact Dennis Schwarz at (562) 593-9745 or dennis.c. schwarz@boeing.com.

For more information on the Systems Engineering Center, call Campbell at ext. 4046, e-mail cstprg@caltech.edu, or visit www.irc.caltech.edu .

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Wine-tasting benefits kids' center

Enjoy an evening of wine and jazz under the stars at the Child Education Center's 14th Annual Wine-Tasting Benefit, set to begin at 6:30p.m. on Saturday, June 21. The Mediterranean-style setting of Avery House will provide a re laxed ambience for guests to experience fine wines, great food, and live jazz by the Chad Edwards Quartet. Guests may also bid on unique auction items and take their chances at the gaming tables. All proceeds from the evening will directly benefit the nonprofit organization, which has provided high­quality child-care and educational out­reach services since 1979. Tickets for this event are $35 for general admission and $65 for the connoisseur level, and may be purchased at the event for an addi­tional $10 each . For tickets and further information, call (818) 354-3418.

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the academic week at Ca I tech is a printed version of selected events from the online @Caltech calendar,

http://atcaltech.caltech.edu/calendar/. To publish events online, register as an event planner on the @Caltech calendar. If unable to submit electronically,

please call (626) 395-3630. For further information or a schedule of deadlines, call (6261 395-3630, fax (626) 449-2159, write 336 Calendar, 1-71, California

Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, or e-mail debbieb@caltech.edu.

June 2-22, 2003

Monday, June 2

Geological and Planetary Sciences Kliegel Lecture 155 Arms, Robert Sharp Lecture Hall, 4 p.m.-" A Lunar Field Geologist's Perspective: 30 Years Later," Harrison H. Schmitt, former NASA astronaut. Information: www.gps.caltech.edu.

Thesis Seminar 106 Spalding Lab, Hartley Memorial Seminar Room, 4 p.m.-"Laboratory Evolution of Cytochrome P450 Peroxy­genase Activity," Patrick Cirino, graduate student in chemical engineering, Caltech.

Applied and Computational Mathematics Colloquium 101 Guggenheim Lab, Lees-Kubota Lecture Hall, 4:15p.m.-" Long-time Dynamics of the Nonlinear Atomic Chain Fifty Years after Fermi, Pasta, and Ulam," Gero Friesecke, department of mathematics, University of Warwick, England. Refreshments, 3:45 p.m. Infor­mation: www.acm.caltech.edu/colloq. shtml.

Information Sciences Seminar Series 070 Moore, 4:30p.m.-" Polynomial Time Algorithms for Network Informa­tion Flow," Peter Sanders, Max-Pianck­lnsitut fur lnformatik. Information: http:// netlab.caltech .ed u/sem ina r.

Tuesday, June 3

Thesis Seminar 106 Spalding Lab, Hartley Memorial Seminar Room, 10 a.m.-" Expanding the Synthetic Capacity of the Aminoacyl­tRNA Synthetases," Pin Wang, graduate student in chemical engineering, Caltech.

Thesis Seminar Beckman Institute auditorium, 1:30 p.m.­" Radical Formation and Electron Trans­fer in Biological Molecules," Jeremiah E. Miller, graduate student in chemistry, Caltech.

Chemical Engineering Special Seminar 106 Spalding Lab, Hartley Memorial Seminar Room, 2 p.m.-"Origins of Speckles and Slow Dynamics of Polymer Gels," Professor Chi Wu, department of chemistry, Chinese University of Hong Kong. Information: www.che.caltech. edu/calendar/seminars.html.

Institute for Quantum Information Seminar 74 Jorgensen, 3 p.m.-" Quantum Infor­mation and Special Relativity," Daniel Terno, Perimeter Institute.

Chemical Physics Seminar 147 Noyes, Sturdivant Lecture Hall, 4 p.m.-"Collision-lnduced Light Emis­sion as a Thermometer for Electronic Deformation," Professor Raphael Levine, UCLA and Institute of Chemistry, Hebrew University.

Wednesday, June 4

Mathematical Physics Seminar 351 Sloan, noon-"Dispersive Estimate for Schrodinger Operators with a Poten­tial," Wilhelm Schlag, associate profes­sor of mathematics, Caltech. Information: www.math.caltech.edu/events/ mathphys.html.

Thesis Seminar 147 Noyes, Sturdivant Lecture Hall, 3 p.m.-" Amino Acid Radicals in Rhenium-Modified Copper Proteins," William Wehbi, graduate student in chemistry, Caltech.

Astronomy Colloquium 155 Arms, Robert Sharp Lecture Hall, 4 p.m.-Topic to be announced. Re'em Sari, Sherman Fairchild Senior Research Fellow in Astrophysics, Caltech. Informa­tion: www.astro.caltech.edu/-gma/ colloquia.html.

Information Sciences Seminar Series 070 Moore, 4 p.m.-Topic to be an­nounced. Edmund Yeh, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, Yale University. Infor­mation: http://netlab.caltech.edu/seminar.

Thursday, June 5

Chemical Engineering Seminar 106 Spalding Lab, Hartley Memorial Seminar Room, 2 p.m.-"Engineering of Polymeric Gene Delivery Vectors: Mechanisms of Intracellular Trafficking," Professor Daniel W. Pack, department of chemical and biomolecular engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Refreshments, 113 Spalding Lab, 3 p.m. Information: www.che.caltech.edu/calen­dar/seminars.html.

Biophysics Lecture Series 153 Noyes, Sturdivant Lecture Hall , 4 p.m.-"Protein Mechanics Probed by Single Molecule Force Spectroscopy," Professor Julio M. Fernandez, biological sciences, Columbia University. Refresh­ments, 3:45p.m.

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Friday, June 6

lnorganic-Organometallics Seminar 151 Crellin, 4 p.m.-"Driving Force Dependence of Electron Transfer Rate Constants at ZnO/Liquid Contacts," Tom Hamann, graduate student in chemistry, Caltech.

Saturday, June 7

Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum Spotlight Series Program Beckman Institute auditorium, 7:45a.m. to 12:30 p.m.-IP and Human Capital Workshop. Details and registra­tion information to be announced. Visit the Enterprise Forum at www.entforum. caltech.edu.

Tuesday, June 1 0

Chemical Physics Seminar 147 Noyes, Sturdivant Lecture Hall, 4 p.m.-"Organic Aerosols, Free Radi­cals, and the Fate of the Earth," Profes­sor Barney Ellison, department of chemistry and biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder.

Thursday, June 12

Herbert Newby McCoy Award Seminar 153 Noyes, Sturdivant Lecture Hall, 3 to 3:30 p.m.-" Electrochemical Sen­sors Based on DNA-Mediated Charge Transport Chemistry," Elizabeth Boon, postdoctoral fellow in chemistry, Caltech.

Herbert Newby McCoy Award Seminar 153 Noyes, Sturdivant Lecture Hall, 3:30 to 4 p.m.-" Luminescent Probes for Heme Enzymes," Alexander Dunn, graduate student in chemistry, Caltech.

Herbert Newby McCoy Award Seminar 153 Noyes, Sturdivant Lecture Hall, 4:15 to 4:45p.m.-" Molecular Mousetraps," Ryan Julian, graduate student in chemis­try, Caltech.

Herbert Newby McCoy Award Seminar 153 Noyes, Sturdivant Lecture Hall, 4:45 to 5:15 p.m.-"ln Vitro Selection of mRNA Display Libraries Containing Unnatural Amino Acids," Shuwei Li, postdoctoral fellow, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Von Karman Lecture Series JPL, von Karman Auditorium, 7 p.m.­"SIRTF: The Last of the Great Observato­ries," Dr. Michelle Thaller, astronomer, Space Infrared Telescope Facility, JPL. Admission is free. Information: www.jpl. nasa.gov/lecture.

Friday, June 13

1 09th Annual Commencement Beckman Mall, 10 a.m. to noon.

Von Karman Lecture Series Pasadena City College, 1570 E. Colorado, the Vosloh Forum (south of Colorado on Bonnie), 7 p.m.-"SIRTF: The Last of the Great Observatories," Dr. Michelle Thaller, astronomer, Space Infrared Telescope Facility, JPL. Admission is free. Informa­tion: www.jpl.nasa.gov/lecture.

Saturday, June 14

Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum Baxter Lecture Hall, 7:45a.m. to 12:30 p.m.-"Computation Outlook." Program details to be announced. Fee: $40; $10 for full-time students with ID; Caltech students and faculty free. Regis­tration and information: 395-3916 or entfor@caltech.edu. Visit the Enterprise Forum at www.entforum.caltech.edu.

Tuesday, June 17

USGS Public Lecture Series Baxter Lecture Hall, 8 p.m.-"Do Faults Talk to Each Other?", Dr. Greg Anderson, research scientist, U.S. Geological Sur­vey. Information: http://pasadena.wr. usgs.gov/i nfo/lectu res.

CampusEvents Monday, June 2 Child Educational Center Summer Camp Sign-Up Enrollment is open through June 20 for the CEC's Summer Camp Program for children completing kindergarten through 6th grade. Caltech and JPL families have priority enroll­ment. Information: (818) 354-3418 or www.ceconline.org.

NEURO: An Art and Science Collaboration Works by six contemporary artists, who drew on the technology resources of Caltech and the knowledge of Center for Neuromorphic Systems Engineering (CNSE) scientists, will be on display in the Athenaeum lobby and at the Art Center College of Design's Williamson Gallery through June 29. Admission is free . Information: www.artandscience.us.

Baby Furniture and Household Equipment Pool 234 S. Catalina, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.-Loans of kitchen and household necessities and baby furniture are made to members of the Caltech community. Information: 584-9773.

Ceroc Dance Lessons Winnett lounge, 7:30 to 9 p.m.-Ceroc is a hip, international dance club sensation. This is a series of 10 weekly classes sponsored by the Ballroom Dance Club. The series began March 31. No experience is required. Fee: $1; free for freshmen, first-year graduate students, and those taking the class for PE credit.

Tuesday, June 3 Caltech Tai Chi Club Winnett lounge, 7 p.m.-Meets Tuesdays and Fridays weekly. Sessions are free. Information: www.its.caltech.edu/-taichi.

NEURO Art Exhibit: Public Lecture and Panel Discussion Beckman Institute auditorium, 7:30 to 9 p.m.-" Issues at the Intersection of Art and Science" will be the topic discussed by a panel to include NEURO artist Simon Penny, professor of arts and engineering, UC Irvine; Jill Andrews, assistant to the provost for educational outreach, Caltech; Stephen Nowlin, NEURO curator and director of the Williamson Gallery at the Art Center College of Design; and David Kremers, conceptual artist in biology, Caltech. Admission is free. NEURO information: www.artandscience.us.

Wednesday, June 4 Baby Furniture and Household Equipment Pool 234 S. Catalina, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.-Loans of kitchen and household necessities and baby furniture are made to members of the Caltech comm unity. Information: 584-9773.

American Smooth-Style Dance Lessons Winnett lounge, 7:30 p.m.-An assortment of popular American smooth-style dances, includ­ing the fox-trot, tango, and waltz, taught by a professional instructor. This is a series of nine weekly classes, sponsored by the Ballroom Dance Club. No previous experience is neces­sary. Fee: $6 per class for Caltech students, $8 per class for others, with a discount for full payment in advance. The series began April 9.

Dance Team Quickstep Classes Winnett lounge, 9:30 p.m.-Four weeks of quick­step, taught by a professional instructor. No experience is required. Sponsored by the Ball­room Dance Club.

Hip-Hop Dance Class for Advanced Beginners Braun Gym, multipurpose room, 9:30p.m.­This hip-hop class offers beginners a more chal lenging experience. Open to everyone with a valid gym membership. No special clothing or shoes are required. The trial class costs $5; fee for the full term is $30 for Caltech students and $40 for nonstudents. Sponsored by the GSC, ASCIT, and the Alumni Fund.

Thursday, June 5 Scanning Essentials NewMedia Classroom, 363 S. Hill Avenue, 10 a.m. to noon-Learn the proper techniques for scanning to get the result you want the first time in this hands-on workshop. Resolution and output, basic photo enhancements in Photoshop, and saving your file in the right format will be demonstrated. Fee: $50. Registration and infor­mation: 395-3420, wenyee@caltech.edu, or http://muri.ca ltech.edu/nmc/index.htm.

Annual Book Preview Party Dabney Lounge, 6:30 to 9 p.m.-The friends of Caltech Libraries (FOCAL) is holding a members­only preview party for their annual book sale. There will be wine and cheese tasting, and door prizes. You must be a FOCAL member to attend. Memberships will be sold at the door starting at 6 p.m. Minimum membership price is $50.

Friday, June 6 Friends of Caltech Libraries Annual Book Sale Dabney Lounge, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.-The Friends of Caltech Libraries (FOCAL) is holding their annual two-day book sale. There will be a large selection of books to chose from, including travel, cooking, children's literature, and science.

Caltech Tai Chi Club Winnett lounge, 7 p.m.-Meets Tuesdays and Fridays weekly. Sessions are free. Information: www.its.caltech.edu/-taichi.

Saturday, June 7 Friends of Caltech Libraries Annual Book Sale Dabney Lounge, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.-This is the second day of the Friends of Caltech Libraries (FOCAL) annual two-day book sale. There will be a large selection of books to chose from, includ­ing travel, cooking, children's literature, and science.

Intermediate Ballet Class Braun Gym, multipurpose room, 1 p.m.-Free class taught by experienced members of the Caltech Dance Troupe. No special clothing or shoes are required.

Chamber Singers Concert Dabney Lounge, 8 p.m.-This special concert will feature madrigals and chansons from the Renaissance in English, Italian, German, and French, and Bach's motet "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied" for double choir. Admission is free. Information: 395-4652, 1 (888) 2CALTECH, or events@caltech.edu. Individuals with a disabil­ity: 395-4688 (voice) or 395-3700 (TDD). Visit Public Events at www.events.caltech.edu.

Monday, June 9 Baby Furniture and Household Equipment Pool 234 S. Catalina, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.-Loans of kitchen and household necessities and baby furniture are made to members of the Caltech community. Information: 584-9773.

Staff Service Awards Program Beckman Auditorium, 10 a.m.-Caltech's 48th annual staff service awards program will be followed by a reception in Beckman Institute courtyard. Friends, family, and colleagues are welcome to attend.

Tuesday, June 10 Photoshop Class NewMedia Classroom, 363 S. Hill Avenue, 10 a.m. to noon-Learn the important functions of Photoshop, such as selection, layers, image enhancement, and correct file formats. The emphasis is on research images, but the infor­mation is useful to anyone working with images. This two-day class will continue on Thursday. Registration: 395-3420 or wenyee@caltech.edu. Fee: $100. Information: http://muri.caltech.edu/ nmc/i ndex.htm.

Caltech Tai Chi Club Winnett lounge, 7 p.m.-Meets Tuesdays and Fridays weekly. Sessions are free. Information: www.its.caltech.edu/-taichi.

Amnesty International Letter Writing Athenaeum Rathskeller, 7:30 p.m.-Caltech/ Pasadena AI Group 22 will host an informal meeting to write letters on human-rights abuses around the world. All are welcome. Refresh­ments. Information: (818) 354-4461 or lkamp@ lively.jpl.nasa.gov. Visit our website at www.its. ca ltech .ed u/-a i g p22.

Wednesday, June 11 Baby Furniture and Household Equipment Pool 234 S. Catalina, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.-Loans of kitchen and household necessities and baby furniture are made to members of the Caltech community. Information: 584-9773.

Thursday, June 12 Photoshop Class NewMedia Classroom, 363 S. Hill Avenue, 10 a.m. to noon-A continuation of Tuesday's class. Information: http://muri.caltech.edu/nmc/ index.htm.

Friday, June 13 1 09th Annual Commencement Beckman Mall, 10 a.m. to noon.

Caltech Tai Chi Club Winnett lounge, 7 p.m.-Meets Tuesdays and Fridays weekly. Sessions are free. Information: www.its.caltech.edu/-taichi.

Saturday, June 14 Intermediate Ballet Class Braun Gym, multipurpose room, 1 p.m.-Free class taught by experienced members of the Caltech Dance Troupe. No special clothing or shoes are required.

Sunday, June 15 Skeptics Society Lecture Baxter Lecture Hall, 2 p.m.-"Y: The Descent of Men-Revealing the Mysteries of Maleness," Dr. Steve Jones, professor of genetics and head of the Galton Laboratory, University College London. Donation is $8 for nonmembers, $5 for members and non-Caltech students. Free to the Caltech/JPL community. Tickets and information: 794-3119 or skepticmag@aol.com. Visit the Skeptics Society at www.skeptic.com. A book signing will follow the lecture.

Amnesty International Book Discussion Group Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Boulevard, 2nd floor, 6:30p.m.-This month's book is The Pickup, by Nadine Gordimer. All are welcome. Sponsored by Caltech/Pasadena AI Group 22. Visit Group 22 at www.its.caltech.edu/-aigp22.

Monday, June 16 Baby Furniture and Household Equipment Pool-CLOSED TODAY

Tuesday, June 17

Premiere Video Editing Class NewMedia Classroom, 363 S. Hill Avenue, 10 a.m. to noon-Learn about digitizing video for use on your computer, including basic editing techniques, adding titles, and using effects and transitions. Output your final project to tape or to file. This two-day class will continue on Thursday. Fee: $100. Registration: wenyee@caltech.edu. Information: http://morel.caltech.edu/classes/ workshops.html.

Caltech Tai Chi Club Winnett lounge, 7 p.m.-Meets Tuesdays and Fridays weekly. Sessions are free. Information: www.its.caltech.edu/-taichi.

Wednesday, June 18 Baby Furniture and Household Equipment Pool 234 S. Catalina, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.-Loans kitchen and household necessities and baby furniture are made to members of the Caltech community. Information: 584-9773.

Travel Fair San Pasqua! Walk, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.-Join Travel Services in front of Chandler Dining Hall and the convenience store for three hours of fun and prizes, including free car rentals, hotel stays with breakfast, and more. Meet representatives from our preferred travel agency, airlines, and hotels. Raffles will be held, and one lucky entry from our travel survey will win the grand prize. Informa­tion: http://atc.caltech .edu/Finance/PPS/payment/ travelhome.htm.

Laboratory Safety for Continuing Researchers 118 Keith Spalding Building, 3 p.m.- This re­fresher course, for researchers continuing their work in laboratories, will review issues including laboratory organization, emergencies, injuries, fire, earthquake, chemical and radioactive mate­rial incidents, general laboratory safety, chemical storage, transporting chemicals, preparation for experiments, electrical safety, mechanical safety, and Safety Office services. Registration: 395-6727 or e-mail safety.training@caltech .edu. (New researchers should register for Lab Safety 101.)

Thursday, June 19 Premiere Video Editing Class NewMedia Classroom, 363 S. Hill Avenue, 10 a.m. to noon-A continuation of Tuesday's class. Information: 395-3420, wenyee@caltech. edu, or http://morel.caltech.edu/c lasses/ workshops.html.

Women's Wellness Series: Skin Cancer Steele House (carriage house), noon-Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. It accounts for nearly half of all cancers in the United States. More than one million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer are found in this country each year. Learn more about skin cancer at this discussion sponsored by the Caltech Women's Center. Reser­vations: emery@studaff.caltech.edu.

Friday, June 20 Caltech Tai Chi Club Winnett lounge, 7 p.m.-Meets Tuesdays and Fridays weekly. Sessions are free. Information: www.its.caltech.edu/-taichi.

Saturday, June 21 Caltech/JPL Day at Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.-Admis­sion costs $8 and includes a carnival at 11 a.m. and pavilion seats for the game, which begins at 1:10 p.m. Carnival activities for kids include wall climbing, slides, clowns, and face painting. Tick­ets are available at the Caltech Ticket Office, the Bookstore, Tech Express, and Human Resources; at JPL at the JPL Store and the Credit Union Office, building 218; and at the Caltech Employ­ees Federal Credit Union, 528 Foothill Boulevard, La Canada. Information: 395-3300.

Child Educational Center Wine-Tasting Benefit Avery House, 6:30 to 11 p.m.-Enjoy an evening under the stars and experience fine wines, great food, and live jazz from the Chad Edwards Quar­tet. Guests may bid on unique auction items and take their chances at the gaming tables. All pro­ceeds directly benefit the nonprofit Child Educa­tional Center. General admission costs $35; $65 for connoisseur level. Tickets and information: (818) 354-3418 or hruppel@caltech.edu.

Sunday, June 22 Skeptics Society Lecture Baxter Lecture Hall, 2 p.m.-" Mind Power: Fact, Fiction and Fakery," lan Rowland, professional entertainer, speaker, and writer. Donation is $8 for nonmembers, $5 for members and non-Caltech students. Free to the Caltech/JPL community. Tickets and information: 794-3119 or skepticmag@ aol.com. Visit the Skeptics Society at www. skeptic.com.

Probe, from page 1

know, for example, the exact composi­t ion or even the temperature of the core, and what they do know is based on infer­ences from seismic data accumu lated during earthquakes.

Stevenson says his proposal sh ou ld be attractive to the scient if ic commun ity because it is of the same scale, pricewise, as planetary exploration . Sending some­thing into Earth's core, Stevenson says, will have compara ble payoffs in the quest for knowledge.

"The biggest question shou ld not be the cost, but whether we should pursue the goal of exploring Earth's interior," he says. "That said, I'd suggest we do it if we can keep the cost under $1 0 bil lion ."

Stevenson's plan calls for a crack to be opened in Earth 's crust, perhaps with some sort of explosion-probably a nuclear bomb. According to his figures, the crack w ill need to be several hundred meters in length and depth, and about 30 centimeters w ide, to accommodate a volume of about 100,000 to several mi l­lion tons of molten iron.

The instant the crack opens, the ent ire volume of iron will be dropped in, com­pletely fil ling the open space. Through the sheer force of its w eight, the iron will create a cont inuing crack that w ill open all the way to the planet's core 3,000 kilometers below.

"Once you set that condition up, the crack is self-perpetuat ing," he explains. "It's fundamentally different from drilling, where it gets harder and harder-and eventually futile--the farther you go down."

The iron will continue to fall due to gravity. Rid ing along in the mass of liquid iron will be one or more probes made of a material robust enough to withst and the heat and pressure. The probe w ill perhaps be the size of a grapefruit but def initely small enough to ride easily inside the 30-centimeter crack without getti ng wedged .

The probe wil l contain instruments to collect data, which wil l be relayed th rough low-intensity mechanical waves of some sort-probably through deformations of the ball itself-to send out a kind of "Morse code" of data. Because radio waves cannot propagate through the planet, this is the only way to get the data transferred.

Based on the rate at which the m olten iron fa lls due to gravity, the ball would move downward into Earth at roughly a human running pace (about 10 m iles per hour), meaning that the entire m ission would last a few weeks.

All this may sound to some like sci­ence fiction, but Stevenson says each of the princip les involved is based on sound knowledge of crack propagation, f luid dynamics, mechanica l-wave propagation, and "stress states."

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Commencement, from page 1

ing international students and their fam i­lies and friends, held by the Office of Inter­national Student Programs, and one for al l graduates and their guests, hosted by President David Baltimore, Alice Huang, and the Caltech Alumni Association; the traditional senior banquet at the Ath­enaeum; and a graduate banquet at the Westin Hotel. Ending the day wi ll be an annual concert, featuring graduating stu­dents performing fo r their families and friends.

A final recept ion and luncheon on Friday, following the commencement exercise, will send off all grads in style. The gathering for students and their guests begins at noon on the At henaeum lawn . For more details on Commence­ment 2003 activities, e-mail commence@ caltech.edu or visit http://pr.ca ltech.edu/ commencement/03 .

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Caltech 336, May 29, 2003 5

Service Awards to recognize longtime employees Honoring those who have reached em­ployment milestones, the 48th annual Staff Service Award Ceremony will be held on Monday, June 9. Caltech commu­nity members are invited to Beckman Aud itorium at 10 a.m. to cheer on col­leagues who have served 10 years or more (in increments of five years) . Pro­vost Steve Koonin will give an address and, following the ceremony, awardees and audience are invited to a reception in the Beckman Institute courtyard. At noon, awardees with upwards of 20 years of employment w ill enjoy an Athenaeum lunch, hosted by Tom Schmitt, associate vice president for human resources and campus services.

Some honorees have been here so long, even they're surprised. "I can't believe it's been 35 years!" says Dorotea (Dottie) Chiriaco. As a new hire in ac­counts payable, she started in Throop Hall, which was damaged in the 1971 San Fernando earthquake and torn down. Having worked in finance before there were even calculators, she's thankful for the advent of computers-" I don't know where we'd be without spreadsheets." She worked her way up to accountant and now is in trust accounting. "The

people at Caltech have been wonderful to work with," she says.

David Johnson heard about the Insti­tute from his sister's father-in-law, Francis Lehner-one of the first engi­neers in Seismology. Still a high schooler, Johnson began by changing the paper in the seismographs, joining the technical support staff full-time after graduating in 1967. The job's technical nature, field work, and flexibility have suited him well. "I love being outdoors," he says, describing having to "deal with snakes, scorpions, and spiders" on post­earthquake expeditions. He has also enjoyed meeting "a diversity of people­students, faculty, staff" on the job. "It's a great place to work."

An alum as well as an employee, ITS deputy director Bob Logan started working the week after he graduated with a BS in engineering in 1968. "It's been lots of fun and I've seen lots of changes," he says, recalling a time when "no one ever wor­ried about parking," computers had "great big cabinets you could walk in," and the network consisted of copper wires running all over campus. Logan will probably see more changes before he retires-it'll be a while. "I'm still having fun," he says.

When he calculates that he's worked under five of Caltech's six presidents, beginning with Lee DuBridge, Dallas Oiler Jr. says, "You know you've been here a long time." Once the sole network technician, he gained several colleagues in 2000 after Caltech's systems were upgraded for Y2K: "It got to be too much for one person." Oiler, who's retiring in June, has really appreciated his four­decade career-"the campus setting, immaculate grounds, the atmosphere and people. I've always enjoyed getting up and going to work each day." Now how many people can say that?

Biology staff member John Racs grew up in Hungary, but left in 1957, following the attempted political revolution of the year before. He headed to Ham line Uni­versity in Minnesota on a scholarship, earning a degree in biology. "I graduated one day, got married the next day, and we started driving to Los Angeles the day after that," he says. Following grad school at UCLA, he joined Caltech in 1963, when San Pasqua! Avenue was still a thoroughfare with "nothing north of it." After 40 "mostly fun" years here, Racs plans to retire next year. " I'm waiting for the stock market to go back up."

10 years 15 years 20 years 30 years

Lindy Alo Glenn Bach Elizabeth Bertan i Diana Bisel Patricia Burrescia Stanislav Cincera Wayne Coffman Eduardo Delvillar Barbara Di Palma John Dimmitt Kevin Doody Douglas Wayne Elliott Moises Garcia Richard Gerhart lsmael Gonzalez Diane Goodfellow Helen Hasenfeld Karianne Johnson Scott Jung Derrick Key Norman Lee Abraham Leibovici Richard Leske Jing Li Steven Lo Willie London Steven Lord Sara Loredo-Gallegos Luana Lovato Nanyao Lu Rodrigo Luna Amy Seidel Malak Cruz Martinez Jose Mata Socorro Mendez Warren Midkiff Fred Luther Newman Sandra Pelaez Carolyn Porter Linda Riggall Floreen Rooks Maria Rosales Richard Savage Jr. Nick Scheckel Hiroaki Shizuya Jeri Standfield Lydia Suarez Margaret Vinci Wayne Waller Robert Weber Darryl Willick Fumihisa Yamazaki Chiou-Hwa Yuh Steven Zwick

Catarina Alvarado Paul Angelino Michael Baker Rachel Barnes Phyllis Belisle Charles Bilheimer John Cardenas Rosa Carrasco Ann Margaret Chrisney John Cromer Evelina Cui Siddharth Dasgupta Dian DeSha Kimberly Douglas Alice Edel Andreas Feuerabendt Cheryl Gause Richard Germond Natalie Gilmore Salvador lnchaurregui Carol irwin Andre Jefferson Susan Kallenbach Joyce Kato Leroy Lamb Hsing-Yang Lee Susan Lee Wen-Piao Lee Rosario Marquez Aurora Marquina Miguel McCall Dwayne Miles Stuart Miller Denise Okamoto Davida Perez Harold Petrie Robert Pool Mabie Poon Laura Quattro Timothy Ranalli Irma Ribeiro An ita Romero Marion Schmitz Tracy Sheffer Peter Siegel Arlana Silver Douglas Smith Donna Sparks John Strickland Ruth Sustaita Frank Teng Carlette Thompson Larry Watanabe Ann Wehrle Rosa Wing Carl Winstead Dana Young

Elliott Andrews Patricia Bateman Ch ris Ann Baughman Gloria Brewster Robert Carr Jerolyn Chittum Nian-Ming Chiu Rochelle Diamond Effie D'Souza Al ireza Ghaffari ,.. Deborah Gira Delores Lee Johnny Noyes Milton Olander Ill Robert Paz Martha Penunuri Steve Stryker Candace Vavra Herlinda Vega Larry Wallace Douglas Warden

25 years

Cynthia Akutagawa Michael Anchondo Emilio Arroyo Elizabeth Ayala Barbara Barth Ana Lidia Bowman Thomas Chester Elsa Echegaray Suzanna Horvath L. Katherine Hutton Eugene Kopan Guillermina Martinez Marlys Murray Patricia Norman John O'Keefe Irena Petrac Gwenda Pollard Murdock Jane Raymond Stephen Scott Kim Stapp Roberto Vega Dennis Wittman David Woody

Alan Cummings Cathy Fontenette Richard Goeden Richard Gomez Jean Grinols John Hanson Paul Koceski Gerald Landry Josephine Macenka Michael Miranda--~~ Cecile Rose Gerald Thompson

35 years

Dorotea (Dottie) Chiriaco David Johnson Bob Logan

40 years

Dallas Oiler Jr. John Racs

Dorotea (Dottie) Chiriaco

John Racs

Bob logan

Dallas Oller Jr.

David Johnson

6

AAAS, from page 1

selection process, said Spacks, "recog­nizes those who have made preeminent contributions to their disciplines."

Anson, Caltech's Gil loon Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus, has carried out pioneering work on the electrochemistry of polymers, the catalysis of electrode reactions, and electrochemical reactions involving ultrathin coatings of molecules on electrode surfaces.

Camerer, who is the Axline Professor of Business Economics, specializes in experimental and behavioral economics, incorporating psychology in the study of decision sciences and game theory. His experiments and field studies of people's decision-making behavior have given insights into predicting economic trends and understanding social policy.

Professor of Geobiology Kirschvink, who has been honored by students for his teaching excellence, studies how biological evolution has influenced and been influenced by major events on Earth 's surface. His most significant con­tributions include the "snowball" theory, which posits that Earth may have entirely frozen over several times in its history, possibly stimulating evolution . Another original concept concerns the Cambrian evolutionary explosion, which he be­lieves may have been partly precipitated by Earth's rotational axis moving to the equator in a short interval of time.

Also among this year's class of 187 fellows and 29 foreign honorary mem­bers are United Nations Secretary-Gen­eral Kofi Annan; journalist Walter Cronkite; philanthropist William Gates, Sr.; novelist Michael Cunningham; re­cording industry pioneer Ray Dolby; artist Cindy Sherman; and Nobel Prize­winning physicist Donald Glaser. The academy will welcome the class mem-

Around campus

Perhaps a bit enviously, President Baltimore poses with his wife, Senior Councilor for External Relations Alice Huang, who received a Segway "personal transporter" as a gift. Representatives of the high-end scooter company came to campus May 16 to give a demonstration.

Caltech 336, May 29. 2003

bers at its annual induction ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in October.

Founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock, and other scholar-patriots, the academy has over the generations elected the finest minds and most influ­ential leaders, including George Wash­ington, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, and, cur­rently, more than 150 Nobel laureates and 50 Pulitzer Prize winners. Drawing on its members' expertise, the AAAS con­ducts innovative nonpartisan studies on international security, social policy, edu­cation, and the humanities.

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Blood and platelet donors sought

The City of Hope's Blood Donor Center, which held a successful blood drive on campus several months ago, is again seeking donors to give blood or platelets.

According to Bridget Marshall, platelet and blood donor recruiter at City of Hope, many of the Caltech community members who donated blood in January are now able to give again, and the needs are great. "The medical center has been filled nearly to capacity for the past six months," she says, "with almost all pa­tients requiring transfusions." The num­ber of patients needing platelet transfusions has increased, as have pa­tients who have cancer or are undergoing bone marrow transplants-both condi­tions that require numerous transfusions.

To make a blood or platelet donation appointment, call the City of Hope at (626) 359-8111, ext. 64369.

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A 300-ton crane got things moving in a big way as construction began on Caltech's new power cogeneration system. Slated for completion in July, the system is expected to save the Institute about $2.5 million each year in energy costs, as well as to reduce emissions.

Caltech336 ....

The campus community biweekly May 29, 2003, vol. 3, no. 11

Editor: Daryn Kobata

Ul

(626) 395-6240; daryn@caltech .edu Assistant Editor: Javier Marquez

(626) 395-6624; jmarquez@caltech.edu Calendar Administrator: Debbie Bradbury

(626) 395-3630; debbieb@caltech.edu Graphic Artist: Doug Cummings Photographer: Bob Paz Published by the Office of Public Relations

Ul .... .... Ul Ul

California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 91125

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Student Affairs. from page 1

Under the new structure, ISS will now handle international student immigration and visa issues, as well as those for schol­ars, while ISP staff members Jim Endrizzi , Tara Tram, and Fernando Contreras will continue providing other support and programs. Addressing concerns of a downgrade in services, Borodinsky said, "While it might appear that student ser­vices have been reduced, the number of people actually increases," referring to the seven ISS staff members who are now available to assist students.

Borodinsky also noted that before Residence Life came into being in the early 1990s, most of its functions were handled by the Master of Student Houses. Thus, he said, "We're reinvent­ing a structure that worked in the past." Working closely with Professor Catherine Jurca, the current MOSH, and with Marshak will be Tom Mannion, director of Campus Auxiliary and Business Ser­vices. He has been named senior director of Campus Life, a new umbrella entity encompassing a range of student life services for which he will provide over­sight; plus he will manage student hous­ing and dining within Student Affairs.

Other changes are the merging of the Counseling Center and Health Center ad­ministration under Kevin Austin, now the senior director of health services, with Stuart Miller continuing as director of health services. Student Affairs' system develop­ment office has been closed and the Admin­istrative Technology Center will take on its functions. Erica O'Neal, director of Minority Student Education, has been promoted to assistant vice president, taking on the added task of overseeing the undergraduate ad­missions office; financial aid, which will also process graduate student loans; the registrar's office; and the Women's Center.

"We had a very flat organization ," Marshak said, referring to the fact that Sharyn Slavin Miller, assistant vice presi­dent for student affairs, was overseeing a dozen departments. "Anyone in execu­tive management will tell you that's too many." With O'Neal now supervising some of them, Student Affairs can give closer attention to all departments.

Marshak expressed confidence that those taking on added responsibilities will contribute much to a leaner, more cost­effective organization. "We're fortunate to have Tom Mann ion-he's popular with students, and I think he's a good match for them and for Student Affairs. And Margie Gooding of Human Resources has a na­tional reputation for her work with stu­dents, faculty, and staff in immigration matters." Of O'Neal, who came to Caltech last fall, she said, "Erica has, in my opinion, all the skills I need in an assistant vice president. It has nothing to do with longev­ity or age. She has the skills, the judgment,

and can see both the big picture and the details .. . She was simply the best choice."

While it's likely that changes will continue to take place in Student Affairs, Marshak be­lieves the "major part" of the current restruc­turing is complete. The organization is also continuing to evolve in other ways, such as the recent decision to keep its offices open during lunch hour. "The students were really pleased," she said. Borodinsky concurred, voicing his expectation that the organization will continue to seek ways to comprehen­sively and effectively respond to students' needs.

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Mueller, from page 1

plates were produced, and 19,000 of those had made their way to the dim vault in Robinson.

"I knew that it needed to be done right or the plates could be at risk in the future," Mueller says. So she approached Richard Ellis, the director of the Caltech Optical Observatories, to volunteer her services. " I asked if I could put together a team to organize and inventory the collection ."

Given the go-ahead, the former USC librarian used her considerable skills to bring order to chaos. Once word got out that help was needed, members of the Mt. Wilson Observatory Association and the L.A. Astronomical Association volun­teered to help.

"Everyone who was asked said yes, and everyone stayed on through the end," Mueller says of her 11 teammates. Over 13 week­ends, the volunteers spent more than one thousand hours poring over the stacks, placing plates in protective sleeves, and packing them in boxes. But their time down there wasn't all drudgery.

Every once in a while, the team would gather around a light box to appreciate the wonders of the cosmos. " People certainly enjoyed looking at Milky Way fields and plates that had the Orion Nebula-it's very beautiful to look at," Mueller recalls .

Now that more than 500 boxes of plates have been transported and stored at Palomar, Mueller looks back in wonder. "It was a monumental effort by an extraordi­nary group of people," she says. "This was the most incredible volunteer team effort that I've ever been involved in ."

All of the volunteers were presented with the gift of having asteroids named after them, compliments of Carolyn Shoe­maker, who has discovered more comets than any other individual in history, Mueller says. And her work did not go unnoticed by her boss.

"In recognition of her devotion well beyond the normal call of duty, I arranged for her to visit Keck Observatory and see how things are done at our 'other' tele­scope," Ellis says. She will spend much of the month of June in Hawaii .

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